Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for coupling one or more buoyant members and, more particularly, to a flexible connector for adjoining a plurality of buoyant members to create various floating apparatuses.
Floatation devices such as inflatable rafts for recreational use in water have been in existence for many years. With the increased popularity of water related recreational activities has come the creation of many specialty floatation devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,637 which issued Jul. 18, 1995 relates to a throwable airfoil floatation device including a supporting structure covered with a cushion making it useful to sit upon. The floatation device is a fixed structure incapable of modification according to a fair interpretation of the specification.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,484 which issued Jun. 30, 1998 relates to a floatation toy device including a cylindrical elongated member, a variable buoyancy means in the form of a truncated sleeve which is adjustable along the length of the elongated member and a buoyant connection means in the form of a slightly longer sleeve into which the first and second ends of the cylindrical elongated member are friction fit to form a hoop shaped structure.
While the '484 patent attempts to solve a problem in the art relating to the fixed or stationary nature of the known floatation devices, it too suffers from perceived drawbacks which are addressed by the present invention.
For example, the above described floatation device has limited geometrical configurations due to the way the first and second ends of the cylindrical elongated member attach within the buoyant connection means. A further perceived drawback is that prior to inserting the first and second ends of the cylindrical elongated member into the connection means, i.e., attachment collar, an adhesive must be employed to maintain the connection once assembled.
A less complicated device for use in association with buoyant structures is therefore desirable.